By Marcus Uhe and Jonty Ralphsmith
It’s too early in the season to be panicking… but there’s a few Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 1 sides that would be a little concerned about their current form.
Front of mind is Hallam Kalora Park, a preliminary finalist from 2022/23 that is yet to find its groove in the new season.
Like many, weather interruptions have curtailed the ability to build continuity, but given the standards the veteran group has set, the time is now to get its act together.
The Hawks host Berwick on Saturday, a side that isn’t scared of anyone and appears well-suited to the white-ball format.
A trio of spinning options has proven effective through the middle overs and offer Jarrod Goodes a number of options should the innings get out of hand.
Berwick dismissed the Hawks for 189 back in round three but the chance to chase it down was snatched from them by the weather gods.
Next on the ‘concerned teams’ list is Narre South, languishing in seventh place in the midst of a winless streak, having saluted only once so far against St Mary’s.
The Lions’ opponent, North Dandenong, is flying under the radar and will be buoyed by an upset over Hallam Kalora Park last week, with key players in Imran Laghmani and Tahsinullah Sultani finding some touch in recent weeks.
The round three contest between these two was abandoned after the first day thanks to overnight rain, with the match tantalisingly poised in the Lions’ pursuit of 228.
St Mary’s will be dreading their clash with Springvale South, given the beltings the Bloods have dished-out to them over the last 12 months.
It was the Ryan Quirk and Mitch Forsyth show in a 206-run thrashing in January last season, while Jarryd Straker took 11/40 in a near-outright victory back in October.
Beaconsfield will be eager to see if it can trouble Buckley Ridges again, and confirm that the scorecard last time out was no fluke.
Buckley was 5/42 when play was abandoned, the Tigers one wicket away from getting into the tail with just 128 to defend.
But Buckley will be three weeks without any cricket played by the time play is called at Park Oval, and may be susceptible to rust.
Tips: St Mary’s v SPRINGVALE SOUTH, BUCKLEY RIDGES v Beaconsfield, Narre South v NORTH DANDENONG, HALLAM KALORA PARK v Berwick.
TURF 2
An old-fashioned 12-point match awaits Cranbourne and Parkmore on Saturday at Casey Fields.
The narratives of each season have been significantly different, yet both sit in a similar position – needing a win to keep pace with the top four.
Cranbourne’s season started with pop, before collapsing against Heinz Southern Districts, and was on the back foot against Keysborough before rain washed away the prospect of a result.
Parkmore, meanwhile has been hurt by a lack of synergy which has seen it come up short in crunch moments.
Wickets have been lost in clumps on several occasions and when the teams squared off earlier in the season, in a game that would ultimately be washed out, Cranbourne got on top of the Pirates’ bowlers to reach 8/309 with the hosts unable to stem the bleeding.
The Pirates batters have been heavily impacted by the rain so far this season, but the top-three has struggled in their three hits with an average of 14.5 runs per wicket.
Cranbourne’s seamers will be favoured to exploit that, while Cam Kelly, who has given the Eagles strong launchpads opening the batting, will enjoy the return to the shorter form and could be on for a big score.
With both Cranbourne and Parkmore having had very winnable Sunday fixtures last week washed out, each will be desperate to go into the Christmas break on a winning note.
ROUND 8 TIPS: Keysborough v LYNDALE, Narre Warren v DANDENONG WEST, HSD v Parkfield, Cranbourne v PARKMORE
TURF 3
The first round of return clashes is what awaits the Dandenong District Cricket Association Turf 3 sides on Saturday.
Headlined by a match between Doveton North and Fountain Gate at Power Reserve, each of the four games has something riding on it and all could conceivably go either way.
The way the team which bats first at Power Reserve paces its innings will have a big say on proceedings.
The venue has yet to see any one-day cricket this season, but is typically a tricky wicket to bat on, so experience and poise will come to the fore.
A win for Fountain Gate would see it enter the Christmas break with a stronghold on first position, while a loss would see it fall into the logjam of competing teams, with competitors having a kinder run home.
Doveton North, meanwhile, will be keen to bounce back after getting so close to scaling the Coomoora summit last week.
The difference between a win and a loss for the Lions is going into the break first on the ladder…or possibly fourth.
Last time the teams played Doveton North trailed by 52 runs, with four wickets in hand and plenty of overs left, before rain brought a premature end to play.
Silverton, meanwhile, will be keen to avenge its tight loss to Lynbrook earlier in the season when Jattinder Singh led Lynbrook to victory, while the Lakers will be looking to consolidate their top-four position.
After starting the season strongly, Berwick Springs has had two recent losses wedged between two draws so will hope for the same result as last time against Coomoora, which will hope for a stable batting hand.
A loss would have the Titans sitting more than two games outside the four – albeit, they have the easiest run home of the top-four contenders.
The winner of Doveton and Hampton Park, meanwhile, will avoid going into the break at the foot of the ladder.
ROUND 8 TIPS: DOVETON NORTH v Fountain Gate, Silverton v LYNBROOK, HAMPTON PARK v Doveton, COOMOORA v Berwick Springs
